HeatTrak Keeps Sidewalks Clear

HeatTrak Keeps Sidewalks Clear FARM HOME Miscellaneous 32-6-31 Before winter hits, roll out a HeatTrak« mat to eliminate the need to shovel your walk. "It's a great traction mat with the added benefit of melting the snow," says owner/inventor Hillel Glazer. "The best way to use the mat is to have it turned on before the snow falls." While the mat can melt accumulated snow, it takes much longer, Glazer notes. The New Jersey entrepreneur got the idea when he was a teen shoveling neighbors' walks. "I'm always looking to do things more efficiently," he says. As an adult he teamed up with an electrical engineer to create a safe mat. Hospitals, nursing homes and businesses such as hotels and ski resorts use HeatTraks to keep walkways ice-free. "I haven't had any problem with them in cold temperatures," says Mark Bjorkstrand, who's a HeatTrak dealer in Minnesota. His customers include people with disabilities who put the mat on wheelchair ramps. HeatTrak can be secured on steps. Other customers use the mat for a warm path to a hot tub or barbecue. "The mat is a good target for your newspaper delivery person," Bjorkstrand adds with a laugh. HeatTraks come in 2 and 3-ft. widths in lengths up to 25 ft. in 120-volt ($32.81/sq. ft. list price) and 240-volt ($33.75/sq. ft.) versions. Electric costs average 15 cents per hour for both. Bjorkstrand adds that a sensor can be purchased to turn the mat on when there is moisture in the air. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mark Bjorkstrand, 1301 East Cliff Rd., Suite 109, Minneapolis, Minn. 55337 (ph 612 282-9896; www.guttertopperpro.com) or Hillel Glazer, HeatTrak, LLC, 85-99 Hazel St., Paterson, N.J. 07503 (ph 866 766-9628; www.heattrak.com).

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